Rules Shift Jeopardizes UFC 97 in Montreal

The UFC’s second trip to Montreal is in jeopardy following a
decision by the Quebec Boxing Commission this week to adhere to
regulations that prohibit elbow and knee strikes and other standard
MMA moves.

Sportsnet.ca was the first to report on the story on Thursday.

Nearly 13,000 tickets have been sold for UFC 97 “Redemption,”
scheduled to take place at the Bell Centre in Montreal on April 18,
according to Marc Ratner, Vice President of Regulatory Affairs for
the UFC. The show, which pits middleweight champion Anderson
Silva against jiu-jitsu ace Thales
Leites, may face tough choices in the coming days though.

The UFC broke attendance and box office records with its first
event on Canadian soil 10 months ago, though that show was
regulated under rules more akin to the unified rules of combat
recognized throughout North America.

From 2000-2008, the Universal Combat Challenge, later renamed TKO,
held 44 of its 46 events in Quebec under similar regulations as
well.

But now Québécois officials are saying the province does not have
the latitude to allow those or any other set of regulations outside
of the ones they already have in place.

“We had a tolerance for the application of the rules in the past,”
Réjean Thériault, director of communications for the combat sports
division of the Governing Body of Alcohol, Races and Games of
Quebec (RACJ), which oversees the commission, told Shedog.com on
Thursday. “We learned today that we had a place for tolerance and
we didn’t know. Now we know the rules under which to live. We
informed all the promoters last week that they must now respect the
rules of Quebec.”

Those rules regulate boxing, kickboxing and “mixed boxing,” which
is described as a combination of boxing, kickboxing, wrestling and
jiu-jitsu. Along with the prohibition of elbow and knee strikes
both standing and grounded, the regulations also state that a
referee will utilize a standing count to check on a fighter that
has been knocked down.

The Octagon might also face downsizing to comply with the
requirements, said Thériault.

Ratner, who has been in close contact with both the RACJ and
commission in the last few days, said he believes the genesis for
the sudden turn-around came from the near-riot that occurred last
Friday at a Strikebox/Titans Fighting event in Montreal.

That event, promoted by former TKO president Stephan Patry, aimed
to utilize MMA striking rules, but negated the ground aspect of the
sport. However, the commission advised Patry that the proposed rule
changes would not be allowed, and that the show would follow MMA
regulations instead.

A private agreement amongst a majority of the fighters to keep the
bouts standing was followed until the main event, when British
brawler James
Thompson took down Steve Bosse
and began to ground-and-pound the Canadian hockey enforcer. The
crowd of nearly 1,200 spectators erupted in disapproval, throwing
chairs and beer cans. The commission called the contest, while the
fighters had to be escorted out of the cage by security.

Though Thériault acknowledges that the Strikebox/Titans fiasco
played a role in what appears to be a sudden adherence to the rules
on hand, he said the decision has already been in the works for
some time.

“[The Strikebox scenario] was an important part of getting us to
this point, but Richard Renaud [Director of the Division of Combat
Sports in the RACJ], who is replacing Mario LaTraverse, has been
working with the President of the RACJ, Denis Racicot to change the
sport, and noted that we had tolerated the [past] rules,” Thériault
said.

Ratner believes LaTraverse’s retirement from the commission has
also played a role in the recent events, but sees a positive
outcome on the horizon.

“We're aware of the situation and working with [the RACJ and the
Quebec Boxing Commission] to resolve the situation,” Ratner told
Sherdog.com on Thursday. “I'm confident that this will all work
out.”

While Ratner said discussions regarding the rules would continue
into next week, Thériault emphasized that the RACJ was neither
making any drastic changes nor trying to run the UFC out of
town.

“We’re not following any new rules,” he said. “We’re following the
rules that are in place.”